Political Quotes

“I would like to thank my colleagues from Florida and from Tennessee for their great service to our Armed Forces and our Armed Services and great support. I enjoyed hearing Senator Blackburn from Tennessee talk about her Tennesseans. I stand before you with my colleagues today to talk about the NDAA and how important it is to pass the National Defense Authorization Act. My State of West Virginia has some of the highest rates of veteran population. About 10 percent of our population are veterans, and nationally that average is only 7, so I think that service in the military and taking care of our military has always been a source of very much importance to me as their representative here in the Congress. I think we can all agree that our Armed Forces would not be what they are without the great service of our patriotic men and women in our All-Volunteer Force. That is why it is important that we continue to support them and the work that they do to protect our freedoms every single day. This important legislation does just that by authorizing vital resources for our Nation's troops, our wounded warriors, and their families. The Defense bill also includes programs which will directly impact the West Virginia National Guard. I have had the chance to regularly meet with servicemembers in my State and abroad, and I have enjoyed personally being able to thank them. Most recently, I traveled to Afghanistan, where I met a unit from West Virginia.…”